Death's Bitter Embrace (#Wattys2015)

Chapter VIII: Her time

My mind continues to remember things in my past, delightful things like-my assistant and aide for the brutal killings; Maria, she was a pleasant woman on the outside, her faint smile almost always dawning upon her pretty face, her huge jade coloured eyes showing affection and love, her luscious and silky golden curls bouncing up and down as she walks.

But, on the inside was a completely different story, there was something wicked in there that desperately wanted to come out, it was condemned to the depths of Maria's bruning hellfire, and I, wasn't bringing it out anytime soon.

Her personality and pretty face made her the perfect assistant, she could lure her prey without groveling, with the slightest of ease. Unlike me I was always covered in the stench of Death and despair, not saying She smells bad or anything, but it is very hard to get Her smell out.

I was walking I'm the street in search of a few people who had lost it all and would be good for my next game, when I saw Maria's petite, skinny body lying on the cold, hard cobblestone ground. She was a mess, her golden locks had dirt and mud in them and looked as if it hadn't been washed in months.

Her cheeks, stained with tears of loss, hunger and despair. She was as skinny as a twig and looked like she could be easily snapped in a million pieces.

I decided since she had nothing to live for, since she had lost so much, could she still fight for her life. I took her in and gave her life's necessities, food, clothes, water and a bed to sleep in. About two weeks later she was ready, she started to look forward to waking up in the morning.

The game, three men, three women, it was going to be an interesting game, to see who would win and how it would all be played out. Excited thoughts of how Maria would do in a predatory game shifted into my mind, I thought she would be the first to die but as I watched on that thought dissipated into the moments intense air, as I watched the Maria unleash the demon inside her, the demon who had been trapped in her hellfire and was plotting revenge.

Maria had a gleaming grin of passion on her face as she killed then all one by one, each victim was killed differently-one thing was the same, her smile, her demonic grin stayed on her face the whole time-the death's were horrific and excruciatingly long, for the victims, not me, I, was watching intently.

To think Maria could have done this all by herself, with no help of me-or anyone for that matter was astonishing, the demon inside her was a lot more hellbent than I had previously thought. Her demon couldn't have been controlled in the game, one it was out, it would stay out forever.

Once Maria had killed them off, one by one, slaughtering them as she went by, she opened the door and saw me standing there with two things;

Raven in my hands, my sweet Raven

An ear-to-ear grin on my face.

As I go to swing Raven to decapitate her-no-one is allowed to leave The Games Room-she knocks me flat on my ass, grabbed Raven and stuck her close to my jugular while saying;

"Did I do well Master? I learned from the best, did you like what I did with the victims?" I studded for words as Maria's voice played inside my head again and again, over and over, like a mantra. Those were the last words I expected to hear, if any words at all.

"Y... Yes Maria... it was... Breathtaking, I loved it" struggling to find the words to appease her, to satisfy her, knowing full-well that she still had Raven in her clutches and right next to my jugular, one wrong word and she could kill me in an instant.

"You're not going to kill me? Are you?" I asked in a wary tone. She shook her head frantically with a panicked look as if to say: what are you thinking? Why would I ever kill you? Her long flamboyant locks swiftly moving in her face ever so slightly as she shakes her head.

From then on the demon in Maria was permanently on the outside, and she was my beautiful, and demonic assistant. Several days later I was in The Games Room at around about two in the morning torturing some poor soul who trusted me, when Maria walked in and requested that she hosted a game. I immediately said yes to her preposition with a demon-like grin in excitement and told her to get some rest, tomorrow was the day we plan.

Maria and I took to the streets to find people that had lost it all, that could easily give up at the first sight of an end, but yet still win a fight. I set off to find someone that had nothing left to live for so I could torture them until they would wish the were dead.

Three days later and the game was set, and ready. Maria was ready, she was announcing the rules to the players.

"Hello and welcome to The Games Room, my name is Lady Grim and you are my toys, and I get to play with you until one of you stands alone." Maria said a little on the sarcastic side, with a touch of emphasis.

"Why haven't you turned on the lights" I remember saying to her after her short but sweet speech. As she turned on the lights I see that all the targets' were women, and, they were all in clothes like a harlot, a slut would wear.

The game begins and the women are darting around in their outfits, crying, searching for another way out-foolish women for thinking Maria would let them out so soon, if at all.

One by one, a young pretty women-not as pretty as Maria but still pretty enough to get what she wanted all the time. Charlotte I think her name was, went around killing with no fear, no putty, and, no consequence. She got to the door and unlocked with the key she fished for in a drain.

Maria and I ran down to the door before it clicked open, I gave Maria to use to slay Charlotte. When the door clicked open she was stunned to see us standing there, Raven in Maria's hands, grins on our faces.

"Now" I whispered just loud enough so Charlotte could hear that her demise was imminent. Maria spun a full circle and sliced her head off, Charlotte's head slid off her body and onto the floor.

I can't remember what happened to Maria because if the agonizing sharp pain in my abdomen. As my mind snaps me back to reality and out of my memories because of the severe blood loss, I smile to myself for remembering the shattered fragments before I succumb to Death's bitter touch, before the figure brings its nails down one last time.

I am drifting in and out of consciousness, losing all control I once had over my body.

"ANY LAST WORDS BEFORE YOU DIE TOBY?" The figure howls at me.

"Last words are for fools who haven't said enough" I manage to sputter out as I lose the battle of the living.